The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1887-08-06

not a cold Christ, not an Intellectual
Christ, not severely magisterial
Christ, but loving Christ, spreading
out his arms Of sympathy TO press the
whole world TO his loving heart.
But remark again that the relIg-
ious discourse Of the future will be
short. Condensation Is demanded by
the age In which we live. No more
need Of long introductions and long
applications, and SO many divisions 70
a discourse that IT may be said to be
hydra headed. In other days men got
all their information from the pulpit.
There were few books and there were
no newspapers, and there was little
travel from place to place, and people
would sit and listen two and half
hours 20 n religious discourse, and
''seyenteenthly' would find them fresh
and clipper.
\ Napoleon In an address OF seven
minutes thrilled his army, and thrilled
Europe. Christs sermon on the mount,
the model sermon, was less than eigh-
teen minutes long at ordinary mode Of
delivery. IL Is not electricity scattered
all over the sky that strikes, but cleo
tricity gathered in thunderbolt and
hurled, and IL Is not religious truth
scattered over, spread out over vast
reach OF time, but religious truth pro-
| jected in compact form that flashes
light upon the soul and rives its indif-
! ference A
But remark also that the religious
/ discourse Of the future, of which /
speak, will be popular discourse.
There are those in these times who
speak of a popnlar sermon as though
there must be something wrong about
il. AS these critics are dull themselves,
the world gets the impression that a
sermon is good In proportion as it is
stupid. Christ was the most popular
| preacher the world ever saw, and con-
sidering the small number of the
worlds population. had the largest
audience ever gathered. He never
Ipreached anywhere without making a
great sensation. People rushed out In
the wilderness TO hear him, reckless of
their physical necessities. So great
was their anxiety 10 hear Christ that,
taking no food with them, they would
have famished and starved had not
Christ performed miracle and fed
them.
Why did so many people take the
truth at Christ's hands? Because they
all understood IL. He illustrated his
subject by a hen and her chickens, by
"A bushel measure, by handful Of salt,
by birds flight and by lily's aroma.
All the people knew what he meant
and they locked to him. And when
the religious discourse OF the future
appears ii will not be Princetonian.
not Rochesterian, not Andoverian. not
Middletonian, but Olivetic-plain,
practical, unique, earnest, comprehen-
sive of all the woes, wants, sins, sor-
rows and necessities of an auditory.
But when that exhortation or dis
course does come there will be thou
sand cleaning scimetars TO charge on
IT, There are In so many theological
seminaries professors telling young
men how to preach, themselves not
knowing how, and am told that III a
young man In some of our theological
seminaries says anything quaint or
thrilling or unique. faculty and stu
dents fly at him and set him right, and
straighten him out, and smooth him
down, and chop him off, until he says
everything just as everybody else says
IL.
Oh, when the future religious dis
course OF the Christian Church, arrives,
all the Churches of Christ in our gre at
cities will be thronged. The world
wants spiritual help. All who have
buried their dead want comfort. All
know themselves 10 be mortal and TO
be immortal and they want TO hear
about the great future. tell you my
friends, IL the people of our great cities
who have had trouble only thought
they could get practical and sympa-
thetic help in the Christian Church,
there would not be a street in New
York, or Brooklyn, or Chicago. or
Charleston. or Philadelphia, or Boston,
which would be passible on the Sab
bath day If there was church on IT,;
for all the people would press to that
asylum of mercy, that great house of
comfort and consolation.
But, remark again, the religious
discourse of the future will be an
awakening sermon. From the altar
rail- TO the front doorstep under that
sermon an audience will get up and
start for heaven. There will be in 1t
many q staccato passage. IL will not
be lullaby; 1t will be battle charge.
Men will drop their sins, for they